Simon Hughes leads UK Tamil delegation to Washington

12.00.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 23rd Apr 2009

Amid rising worldwide concern for Tamils in Sri Lanka, young British Tamils who have been organising the legal protest in Parliament Square have begun their urgent political missions to try to obtain a ceasefire, immediate full humanitarian relief and independent international observers and reporting.

Three young Tamil adults have just returned today from a meeting in Strasbourg last night with the European Foreign Affairs Commissioner, Benita Ferrero-Waldner. They were accompanied on their visit by Susan Kramer, MP for Richmond Park and Graham Watson MEP, leader of the ALDE Group in the European Parliament. The immediate objective is to ensure Sri Lanka is high on the agenda at the European Foreign Ministers Council meeting next Monday 27 April.

With the blessing of the UK government, a delegation of three young British Tamils are on route today to Washington with Simon Hughes MP for meetings at the State Department, National Security Council and the UK Embassy. Mr Hughes leaves following his question to the Prime Minister this morning and an all-party meeting of MPs with the Prime Minister and Des Browne, the government's Sri Lanka envoy, in parliament this afternoon. Mr Hughes also again visited Param Subramaniyam, who is on hunger strike in Parliament Square, just before leaving Westminster.

Meetings are also planned between MPs and the Commonwealth leadership in London and a fourth delegation will be going to the UN in New York within days.

Simon Hughes, who has been working with the Tamil community, the protesters, the hunger strikers and the police, is co-chair of parliament's Conflict Issues Group and an officer of the parliamentary Tamil Group.

Before embarking for Washington Mr Hughes said: "With every hour that passes the need for a ceasefire and full humanitarian and international observer access is more urgent.

The European Union, the United Nations, the Commonwealth and the American and Indian and UK government's must exercise maximum pressure to make the Sri Lankan government behave lawfully, fairly and in a humanitarian way.

Nothing less than an end to the conflict and safety and security for all Tamil civilians in Sri Lanka will be enough. Thousands too many lives have been lost already."